archive

Men’s Soccer: Mena makes his mark against rivals

Eric Prister | Thursday, October 7, 2010

When junior midfielder Adam Mena entered Wednesday’s game, he had just more than 11 minutes to find a way to contribute.

That was more than enough time.

One minute and fifteen seconds after substituting for junior Michael Rose, Mena connected on a shot from 18 feet out, giving the No. 22 Irish the go-ahead goal in their 2-1 victory over their in-state rival, No. 20 Indiana.

“Mena brings tremendous energy to the field especially late in the game, and that was great for the team tonight,” Irish coach Bobby Clark said after the game.

The win marked the first victory over Indiana (5-4-1, 1-0-1) for Notre Dame (5-2-3, 2-0-0) since 2006, and only the team’s sixth win over the Hoosiers in 31 meetings.

The Irish struck early, as senior forward Jeb Brovsky scored his second goal of the season, punching in the rebound of fellow senior forward Steven Perry’s 14th minute shot.

“It was a good, solid performance again tonight,” Clark said. “There was good movement from Brovsky and Perry. I thought we were the more dangerous team. [They] were very dangerous for [Indiana’s] four back guys.”

The Hoosiers were not to be outdone, and junior forward Will Bruin found the back of the net after a pass from senior Andy Adlard in the 24th minute. Clark said he was disappointed by his team’s lapse in effort.

“We took our foot off the pedal for a little bit,” Clark said.

The Hoosiers outshot the Irish 11-8, but were unable to put another goal on the board, and Mena sealed the victory for Notre Dame.

“We were very well matched,” Clark said. “Any game down in Bloomington will be a challenge. They’ve got some of the most talented players in the nation. They don’t lose many games at home. It’s terrific for in-state bragging rights.”

Senior goalkeeper Phil Tuttle recorded two saves in the victory, which brings his record to 2-0-1 on the season. Tuttle reentered the Irish lineup last week after recovering from a knee injury that had kept him out all season.

The Irish will return to South Bend before heading south to Morgantown, W. Va. Saturday to take on conference foe West Virginia at 7:30 p.m.